Quick Question. Are tattoos acceptable in japan?

[Solidjuanito]

Hi there my name is juan. I am studying japanese with plans of moving to japan in about 2 or 3 years. I am deeply interested in all that is japanese and feel that i could really find myself in japan I just have a quick question. As i plan to live and work in japan in a professional environment am i going to have a problem with both of my arms covered in tattoos?

[JonB]

You are obviously aware of their connotations here?

If you wear a long sleeve shirt will that cover them? I ask because I have never seen (in 7 years here) and white collar workers with visible tattoos.

You may also find using gyms and onsen tricky as most of them display a sign saying that tattoos are unacceptable.

Having said that it is becoming more "fashionable" here but usually discreet ones and not arms full of ink. The only guy I know with that is the chap that runs the English pub across the road.

[Belton]

Maybe.

There is usually a ban in onsen and sentou on tattoos. Although I've seen young guys with small "tribal" style armbands. Large and colourful would be Yakuza, which I've also seen. scary guys.
In temple lodgings I've also seen a ban on tatoos in their terms and conditions.
I've heard of English teachers with tatoos that always had to wear long sleeves to hide them, even outside the classroom; you're representing your company 24/7.

In general tatoos are considered a sign of criminality and whether it is legal or not you can be discriminated against because of them. So yeah you may have some problems and will have to cover up. I don't think piercings are popular either, except ear piercings for women. but at least they can be removed.

[JonB]

Belton is right - piercing is not popular either, though I've never seen it explicitly barred as tattoos are.

Although last week I was greeted by a young lady at a restaurant in Roppongi Hills with various interesting "visible" piecings including a spike coming out of her chin!

[markystar]

You may also find using gyms and onsen tricky as most of them display a sign saying that tattoos are unacceptable.

i've been told this and i've seen the signs, but i've never had a problem at onsens or swimming pools or gyms.

my entire back is covered, but since it's obviously not a yakuza design, i think i get the gaijin "get out of jail free card."

i wouldn't worry too much about it.

if it's totally visible and you're trying to find work, you may find yourself limited, but onsens and pools should be fine as long as the design isn't yakuza-esque.

[jdproulx]

Just to branch off of this, I have a nipple piercing. Will this be a problem in onsens? Or will I get the so-aptly-put "Gaijin get-out-of-jail-free card"?

[jkid]

I thought I would post this recent article from the Japan Times:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fs20080826a3.html

[chasius]

I have been living in Japan for 2 years now and I have my right leg covered in tattoos. I don't find it a problem at all. Of course no one sees them normally but I have never been asked to leave an onsen or sentou because of them. (Did have a lot of little kids pointing at me though.) There are a number of people with tattoo and piercings here but all and all people are still pretty conservative.

[reboundstudent]

I don't have any tattoos and only piercings in my ears, but when I joined a gym in my inaka town, I was asked if I had any... I think it really depends on where you are, in cities or countrysides.

[ssomers]

For the most part, as a foreigner, you will be spared the usual discriminatory attitudes that keep people out of some onsen or ryokan.

But I would add that you never know when, or with whom, your tattoo might cause an opinion to swing against you. I can think of one person who lost a teaching job due to a discreet 'Celtic' style armband. Wearing short sleeves throughout the summer, he was repeatedly flashing his students with his ink. Several of the parents, behind closed doors of course, complained about the example he was setting.

He was sacked immediately.

That's what can happen. I'm not saying you're likely to encounter problems; but I would say that you cannot take liberal thinking for granted. You never know when prejudices will surface.

[reboundstudent]

Additionally, you might want to consider where you'll end up... Tattoos might not get you banned from onsens in big cities, but if you live in the inaka, attitudes against those symbols still run deep. When I was joining a gym here, I was asked if I had any tattoos or strange piercing, and the girl looked relieved when I said I didn't.

[visual_gaze]

thats true, at onsens and such they dont generally allow tatoos. they put the 'no tatoos allowed' as a way of not having yakuza enter. but as long as you cover them then your ok. a friend of mine had a small tatoo in kanji and when he asked if it was ok the lady told him, quite nervously, 'no no no'. He wasnt allowed to use the onsen but it probably varies on the onsen and how they feel about them. my friend was a gaijin btw so i guess the 'gaijin card' didnt work either.

[MaMiMuMeMo]

May depend on the area too...

At my gym NO tattoos are allowed. I know of people who have been asked to leave the pool because their tattoo was visible.
I was doing an aerobics class with my friend who had a small tatoo above her ankle. A staff member saw it and told her to cover it up, so after that she wore a plaster.
Some comapnies may not hire you if they see it.
In a large eikaiwa I worked at, if tattoos were visible under a shirt, people got reprimanded.

Best of luck

[untmdsprt]

Additionally, you might want to consider where you'll end up... Tattoos might not get you banned from onsens in big cities, but if you live in the inaka, attitudes against those symbols still run deep. When I was joining a gym here, I was asked if I had any tattoos or strange piercing, and the girl looked relieved when I said I didn't.

I have a tattoo on my butt where obviously nobody will be looking at it unless I'm changing in the locker room and some busybody is looking at it.

I was trying to join a gym with my boyfriend, and was told that even one as small as mine is not allowed. I'm now looking for a clinic that will remove it.

[john10074]

I need to mail some prescriptions to my brother in Japan (I'm in the US) since he needs to stay 28 days longer than he originally planned. The drugs are legal in Japan, but he can't get the prescription filled at a Japanese pharmacy.The problem I'm seeing is that normally, you'd need a Yakkan Shoumei to import more than 30 days of meds; and for a short time, my brother will be in possession of more than 30 days worth. But I won't be sending more than 30 days worth of meds! (ARGH!)It takes ~2-3 weeks total to receive a Yakkan Shoumei, and I need to send the meds by Wednesday next week to get them to him on time.So, if anyone has any relevant experience, it would be greatly appreciated. I've never had to send medication internationally before, so any info on that is welcome.(I'm trying to weed through the Japanese Customs webpage, and it's been pretty unhelpful all around. Also contacted the embassy in DC, and they just referred me to the same site.)

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